Machina of Fate
by Andivia
Summary: Fate works in mysterious ways. Any attempts to predict its path are doomed to failure. But sometimes, things work out better than planned. Based on an unfinished story by Alulim.
1. Chapter 1

Here's my newest fanfiction, based of off Fate Machina VARDANT from Alulim. It doesn't look like he's going to be updating in the foreseeable future so I thought I'd make my own spin on it. Following the manga of Linebarrels not the anime.

Anyway read, enjoy, review. You know the drill by now.

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Prologue Start

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**I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD**

Today was never destined to be a normal day. Today Shirou Emiya was tasked with eliminating a dead apostle that had taken up residence on the outskirts of a large city.

The twenty year old man had not been complacent during the four years since the holy grail war. It had been four years of relentless research, practice, violence and bloodshed.

For the person that is Shirou Emiya cannot stand idly by while the innocent suffer.

But then if he were any different, he would not be able to call exceptional people such as Rin Tohsaka and Waver Velvet his friends and allies.

Because Shirou Emiya learned something very important from the servant EMIYA.

No matter what, you cannot save the world alone.

Despite that; when the call to action comes, Shirou Emiya will not stand Idly by.

**STEEL IS MY BODY, AND FIRE IS MY BLOOD**

Reiji Moritsugu was experiencing the worst day of his life.

Even for a boy that could feel no pain, his heart was unbearably painful.

But then; when your best friend is responsible for the death of your beloved sister, the wounds inflicted are much more than skin deep.

Worse still, the police had mistaken him for the culprit. Hunting him as though he were no more than a wild animal as he desperately tries to escape. To find somewhere safe simply so that he may have time to think, time to decide what to do, time to mourn.

What do you do when your whole life falls down around you?

Without stopping to find an answer he had escaped into the forest.

He had no idea just how important that decision would prove to be.

**I HAVE CREATED OVER A THOUSAND BLADES**

The Enforcers had done their job. They had herded the apostle and his dead into a network of caves. Now it was time to eliminate them all in a single swift attack.

Shirou would be at the front of their charge. There was no other place he would accept being.

No one would complain, Shirou Emiya was quickly becoming a legend in the battle against the enemies of humanity.

Amongst the Enforcers assembled, there were many that had worked with the young hero before. Among those men and women there were two words that brought them hope when fighting those that seem to be immortal.

"Trace on."

Married blades of black and white tore through the rotted flesh of the dead.

Swords made to be arrows ripped through the air and returned the dead to dust.

His blades were legendary. His bow unmatched. For they carried the skill of heroes, and they taught their wielder well.

The only thing Shirou Emiya would thank the hero Gilgamesh for, is the fine collection he had let him copy.

The dead and their apostle were trapped. So they resorted to collapsing the tunnels upon the hero and the Enforcers. Sealing off all the entrances and exits. Leaving the hero and the Enforcers trapped with a small army of the dead.

This would be a battle where only two outcomes are possible.

Either the living would prevail, or they would join the dead.

Unbeknownst to them all, a slumbering Titan was awaking.

**UNAWARE OF LOSS, NOR WARE OF GAIN**

Reiji managed to find shelter in the form of a shallow cave halfway up the small mountain.

If he had kept on walking through the rain, his future would have been drastically different.

As it stands, he stopped to rest.

The sounds of battle and bloodshed meant nothing to the young boy, for at the distance he was he could not identify them.

It did not take long for that to change, for barely half an hour after finding the cave. The floor collapsed.

**WITHSTOOD**** PAIN TO CREATE WEAPONS, WAITING FOR ONES ARRIVAL**

The Titan had awoken.

A battered creature of steel, bearing the wounds of countless battles. Impaled upon its own sword. Yet it moved. And it fought.

Perhaps labeling the dead as a threat to its own existence. Perhaps realising that the caves may collapse upon it.

All that is certain, is that the Titan of steel was vicious. It was precise.

But not once did it touch an Enforcer. Though the Enforcers number had dwindled to less than a handful.

Shirou found himself fighting alongside that Titan, grateful for its presence yet mindful of its purpose.

Things such as that are seldom meant for the well being of mankind.

In the hero's mind, the Titan was a being of legend. An angry god that had burst from the ground to strike down those that had crossed it.

However Shirou Emiya soon found something more important to occupy his attention.

The roof of the cave, above a large gathering of the dead, had collapsed.

And with it a child had fallen.

Landing meters away from the living corpses.

That was unacceptable.

Too many had already died, Shirou Emiya would never turn his back on another. Especially one that could not defend themselves.

With speed greater than what any normal human could manage, he sped towards the dead. Intent on saving the boy.

Unfortunately, the Titan did not ignore the existence of that gathering of the dead.

**I HAVE NO REGRETS. THIS IS THE ONLY PATH**

Shirou Emiya reached the boy in time.

Placing himself between the boy and the dead, he became an impenetrable barrier of steel.

None could pass.

Any that attempted were met by his twin blades of black and white.

To Reiji Moritsugu, this was all too much.

It was as though he had fallen into a completely different world. A world of monsters, bloodshed and madness.

It was like a scene out of a heroic tale; the unmatched hero standing in defence of the defenceless.

For Reiji Moritsugu, the boy that claimed to want to be an ally of justice, the man before him was the pinnacle of that.

But the Titans blade was already in motion.

The Titan had seen those that threatened its existence. And the Titan had meant to end theirs.

But the Titan may have misjudged the young hero.

For the hero had removed the threat, but had also placed himself in the path of its ire.

The Titan could not halt fast enough.

The hero had seen the blade too late.

In the final moment before the blade met the hero, he had chosen to save the boy. Throwing him out of the blades reach, then crossed his twin blades in defence.

It did little good.

The Titans blade was unforgiving.

It lifted the hero off his feet and carried him into the wall of the cave. Mercilessly crushing him, turning his organs into little more than paste.

Yet when the Titans blade was removed.

The hero refused to fall.

The hero stood once more.

The hero placed himself in defence of the boy once more.

And the hero held his ground until the very last opponent was vanquished.

In the end, only the boy, the hero and the Titan remained.

And the hero spoke.

"Are you... alright?"

The boy answered.

"I'm alive."

The hero smiled. Still standing in defence of the child,half turned to see him.

"I'm glad."

Then the hero fell.

And then the hero died.

**SO AS I PRAY, UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS**

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Prologue End

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All right. There's the prologue to my newest story. I wanted to try a different opening than usual. What does everybody think?


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, this chapter took longer than I was hoping. Believe it or not I planned to have this out in a week... Yeah that didn't happen. Sorry but crap happened which cut the time I had to write way down.

Moving on. I hope you all read, enjoy, review.

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Chapter One - Start

Reiji Moritsugu - Point of view

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What... What in god's name just happened?

I... I just fell through the floor. And it's almost like I landed in another world.

Those things... There's no way they could have been human. Not anymore at least. It was like they were walking corpses. Their flesh was rotting while still attached to their body, I swear I could see some of their bones. There's no way they should have been moving, let alone trying to kill me. It's like something out of a horror movie.

This can't be real.

But that man... Wearing white armour, black trousers that seemed to be strapped to his legs, a strange blue overcoat with stark white hair and metal toed boots.

He saved me... And he died.

My thoughts were stopped when that strange metal monster approached. The thing was in bad shape, but it was still terrifying.

It towered over me. It might have been completely blue at one point, but as damaged as it was I wouldn't have been able to tell. It was mostly steel grey now. It's shape was definitely human, or at least meant to be human. Other than having strange proportions, like too small feet or too bulky lower legs, I could see the giant had a tail that pointed straight back, a single long sharp horn and a number of large metal plates that made up a pair of wings. Within two of those wings there were a pair of massive swords. The feature that struck me the most though, was that it was impaled with a dozen swords. Swords which looked exactly like those that were stored in the wings.

But it still couldn't be described as anything less than a god of steel. Despite being impaled on its own swords. Despite being so heavily damaged that wires and other components were showing. It still held an aura of fierce pride, as though this empty cavern were its throne room. With its wings spread out it made for an intimidating sight.

Then a moment later it knelt. And in the center of its chest something opened, an eye-like tube sliding out. Then from that tube came dozens of cables: as the cables lashed downwards I realised they were attacking the body of that hero. Stabbing into him with needle like tips.

"Stop!"

I spoke without thinking.

All I really knew is that I didn't want that thing to... do whatever it was doing.

But before I could really do anything he was lifted away and then sealed inside the chest of that monster.

That left me, completely alone, surrounded by corpses.

I couldn't find an exit. The all looked like they'd collapsed. The only way out would be the ceiling I fell in through, but there was no way I'd be able to climb up there. The ceiling was higher than that steel monster even when it was standing at full height. Even the stalactites that seemed ready to fall and impale whoever was unfortunate enough to be beneath them wouldn't even scratch its head.

If there's no way out, then I might as well make myself comfortable. It looks like I'll be stuck here, until I can escape this twisted reality.

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Shirou Emiya - Point of view

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Everything was black. Did I die?

I remember being hit by that giant robot's sword...

That sounds ridiculous. Since when have people been making giant robots?

Nevertheless it definitely killed me. All of my organs were crushed by that strike. I only managed to hold on long enough to save that boy.

I guess that means I did die. People normally die after being killed after all.

So if people die when they are killed, why am I alive?

It was at that moment that the lights came on. And I saw myself in some kind of cockpit. If I had to describe it I'd say it looks like something you'd see in an arcade. Not that I really have much experience, but I've seen some of them as I walked past them. There was a single console in front of me with a number of displays and two handle things, I think they're called joysticks, extending towards me. The rest of the cockpit was see through, allowing me to see that I was still in the same cave that I died in.

There was absolutely no doubt that I did die, my armour was still ruined and covered in blood. My overcoat had almost been dyed red, my white armour was splattered with blood. Most of it would have been from the dead, and I distinctly remember coughing up blood after being struck by that sword though. Looking at my hand I noticed it was several shades lighter than it had been before. In the past four years my use of magecraft had left me looking closer to Archer than I would have liked. My hair and skin had both matched his. Though I might have respected the Counter Guardian, I would not follow in his footsteps. I also would not forsake my ideals. Unfortunately I had found myself taking a course of action similar to what Archer would have taken more and more often lately.

Then, before I had time to further contemplate my recent actions, a single word appeared on the screens in front of me:

**VARDANT**

VARDANT? Is that the name of this thing?

I guess it doesn't matter. I need to get out of here so I can check on everybody else. Almost as soon as that thought crossed my mind this strange cockpit slid out of whatever I was inside.

What I realised after exiting surprised me to say the least.

I had been sitting inside that robot. The same one that should have killed me.

It was a moment later that I noticed that the machine was changing.

The damaged sections seemed to slowly grow back, the paint changed from a dull faded brown to a vibrant blue matching my overcoat. If I were to compare it to a human healing then the process was incredibly rapid. Damage like this would take a human being months to heal, but this machine would probably be finished within a few hours. While the repairs where in progress it removed the blades that had pierced its body then stowed them away inside what looked like wings on its back.

I lost interest at that point since it didn't seem to be paying any attention to me, so I looked around the cavern searching for that boy. I saw him staring up at me, and for the first time I managed to get a good look at him.

He looked like a young teenager. Someone so young shouldn't get mixed up in these things. Even I was older when I first ran into an Apostle. Though the most obvious features he had were an eye-patch over his left eye and the blood on his clothes. He didn't look like he had moved from the spot where he had been when I was defending him. The pile of corpses in front of him was a testament to that. I had also made sure that not a single one of the dead made it to within arms length of him. So where did the blood come from?

Taking a step forward I jumped down from my place atop the damaged machine. Though at the rate it was repairing itself it wouldn't be damaged for long.

When I hit the floor I realised that something felt different. It felt like I was reinforcing my body, but I was absolutely certain that my circuits were quiet...

A question for later.

I took a brief look around, consciously using structural analysis on each and every body I could see.

Structural analysis is one of the most basic spells any magus could learn. It was mostly considered a useless spell for anything other than examining materials, to be fair it was for most people. I, on the contrary, could instinctively use structural analysis on any melee weapon to understand everything about it. But that's not what I needed it for, what I was doing now was seeing whether or not anyone was alive. if they were then the only thing my analysis was likely to show, was static. That's because every living person has some degree of magic resistance, so unless I was physically touching them I wouldn't get anything other than static.

When I found that I could analyse each and every body on the ground, whatever good mood I may have had vanished. Even if I had saved that boy, I still hadn't been able to save the Enforcers.

For the boy's sake I managed to keep up a fake smile. All that time spent with Rin was enough to pick up a few things after all.

The boy was just sitting there, staring at me as if I were a ghost... Then again I did die a moment ago. Probably.

Actually, what am I going to do with him? I can't just let a normal person go with any knowledge of magecraft, even if it's something like this the association would definitely get rid of him. They'd probably get rid of his family, friends and any pets as well. Just to make sure the secret of magecraft remains a secret. But I also can't just mess with his memories, sometimes being a third-rate Magus is a pain. I say I'm third-rate because the absolute limit of my skills is reinforcement, the use of prana to reinforce the physical aspects of an object, alteration, the use of prana to alter an object in some way and my own variant of projection, which allows me to almost perfectly copy certain objects. Messing with people's memories is a basic skill I lack.

I'll have to either convince him not to say anything or call in a favour from... anyone really. So long as Rin never finds out. She'll never, ever let me hear the end of it.

Well. before anything else I'm going to have to talk to the kid.

"Who... What are you?"

Or he could talk to me. That works just as well.

Kneeling down so I was eye level with him I answered.

"My name is Shirou Emiya, an ally of justice. What's your name?"

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Reiji Moritsugu - Point of view

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An ally of justice?

Is he being serious?

...I didn't think people like that really existed... Hold on.

"Why aren't you dead!?"

The man in front of me just continued to smile and scratched his head. Come to think of it, didn't he have a tan earlier? And what's with the white hair anyway?

"I guess I'm just too stubborn to die. Everyone else keeps telling me that. Your name?"

Ah right, I forgot.

"Reiji Moritsugu."

The mans smile seemed to grow wider as he answered.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reiji. Would you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

And with a single sentence he reminds me of everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. He reminds me that right now I'm being wrongfully hunted by the police for killing my sister and the only person I can turn to is the person responsible for my sister dying. He also reminds me that the police are probably searching the woods for me right now.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

It was only when I felt an awkward hand on my head that I realised I had probably been speaking my thoughts out loud. Not that it really mattered, there was no way in hell anyone would be able to make all of this right. Add on the fact that I've just been attacked by zombies and I think this qualifies as the worst day of my life.

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Shirou Emiya - Point of view

* * *

I must have inherited Archer's luck. There's really no other explanation. It couldn't be something simple like a kid playing in the forest, could it?

Apparently he doesn't have anywhere to go... Well there's no way I'm going to just leave him here, I wouldn't be able to call myself an ally of justice if I abandoned a child simply because it's inconvenient compared to finding another solution. If I could think of another solution. Leaving him here isn't a solution anyway... At least it's not a solution I'm willing to use.

One thing's for sure, I don't want an innocent child getting involved in all of this. This life isn't for people like him. I never really had a choice, no matter how long I stayed in Fuyuki my dream would have eventually led to me leaving and ending up here. He has a choice, and he shouldn't choose this. So I won't let him.

But for the moment I have something else to do. Taking my hand off of Reiji's head I turned to survey the rest of the cavern.

Two years ago it would have taken hours to erase all traces of the dead from this cavern, and I still would have missed something.

Thanks to Waver I can get it done in under five minutes. I would really have to think of a way to thank the Lord next time I see him.

**"Trace on."**

Accompanying those two words was an image of a gun in my mind, pulling the hammer back I activated my magic circuits, the conduits that prana flows through in order to conduct magecraft.

Picturing the blade of my choice I brought it forth into reality using my own special brand of projection.

It was a familiar blade, similar in appearance to the black keys of the church. Like the black keys it isn't meant to be used like a normal sword. Though unlike the black keys it wasn't made for combat at all.

It was used to create a bounded field around a central point where the blade is planted. The bounded field affected a large area with a curse that causes blood to ignite on contact with the air. Since it was a degraded copy created by my magecraft the effect could be defended against with even an ordinary persons magic resistance, making it virtually useless in combat. It's basically a sharp pointy bit of metal when it comes to combat. It's also incredibly effective at cleaning up after combat, which was actually its intended function.

I'd also say it's a prime example of why I like Waver Velvet better than Rin when it comes to teaching. If he can't teach me how to do something simple he makes sure I have something else that can do the job. Rin on the other hand would simply try to hammer the information into my head.

Normally with an exploding jewel, maybe a few painful curses if she's in a forgiving mood.

I planted the sword in the ground and turned back to Reiji. Flames igniting around the cavern almost instantly. It must have been quite a sight, it vaguely reminded me of the fire I was born in. Not literally born in, but the person I am today was born then. The biggest difference between now and then would probably be the giant robot in the background. Things like that do tend to make a difference.

I couldn't think of anything to say that would help Reiji. There probably wasn't anything I could say. From his mumbled words earlier I had managed to piece together that his sister was dead and that it was his best friend's fault. There was no mention of family. The best thing I could say would be something to get him moving.

"I know that nothing I say can ever make any of this better. But right now you have two choices. You can stay here and hope for the best, or you can come with me."

I extended my hand towards him. If he decides to come with me I can take him to visit a magus that owes me a favour and place him with a family that wants a kid anyway. It's not the best plan, but it's probably the one I'd like best.

For a moment it looked like he would take my hand without a second thought, then apparently he had a second thought.

He slapped my hand away with what I could only recognise as fury in his eye. I couldn't figure out what I had done or said to make him react like that.

He then turned away, as though he had lost whatever fire had caused him to reject my aid. Before speaking in a hushed, empty tone.

"If you're an ally of justice, why didn't you save my sister?"

I couldn't hold back a heavy sigh.

Yep, definitely inherited Archer's luck.

I sat down next to Reiji, opposite where he was facing, and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Reiji"

He turned slightly towards me... Well it was more of a twitch really.

"What do you think would have happened if I saved her instead of being here?"

That got his attention. He turned to face me fully. His eye was wide and attentive, now how am I going to not screw this up?

"The people that came with me wouldn't have been able to deal with the situation alone. Even with my help they all died. If I wasn't here, all of those..."

I gestured towards the flaming corpses. I wasn't worried about the flames spreading, they'd run out of fuel after consuming the bodies.

"...They would have been free to continue feeding off of the people of your hometown. There's no way I could have stopped them all alone. The people that came with me would have joined them as well."

His eye was fixed on the bodies, a look of disgust on his face. He was probably imagining this scene in the streets of his town.

"So your sister would have died anyway. And she would have become one of them."

His eye snapped back to me, fast enough that I was worried he might have whiplash.

"I didn't save your sister, because I didn't know she was in danger. But even if I did I wouldn't have been able to, because these things would have destroyed the town afterwards. Nobody can be in two places at once. And nobody can save everyone. We can only save the people in front of us."

That seemed to have calmed him down at least.

"It's not fair..."

Hmm? His voice was quiet enough that I almost missed it.

"...I said I wanted to be an ally of justice..."

Oh?

"...And because of all the things I did, she died."

Tears were falling from his uncovered eye. And I think I'd heard enough.

I roughly tousled his hair to get his attention before speaking.

"Then do it. Make her proud, and become an ally of justice."

I really shouldn't be encouraging this, being an ally of justice is possibly the most difficult thing in the world and certainly not something a child should be doing. But then I don't have any room to criticise that desire. I could at least show the kid what being an ally of justice is really like. If he decides he still wants to maybe some day he'll become an executor of the church or something. I've met quite a few that seem happy with their lives.

Granted they didn't live long after I met them. Apostle hunts have high casualty rates.

Nevertheless I held my hand out to the boy once more as I stood up.

"...It's your choice Reiji. Stay here and abandon your dreams, or come with me and learn what it means to be a true ally of justice."

When his hand came to mine it was almost like it was in slow motion. He was eyeing me warily as he reached out, but when he finally grabbed my hand I was conflicted.

On the one hand his eye showed more conviction in it than he had in this brief meeting. It seemed as though something I had said helped.

On the other I might have just pushed a child down an endless path of blood and misery simply because I couldn't think of a better way to help him.

It's probably a good thing that I was going to have someone erase his memories anyway.

A moment later I heard movement above, my well-trained reflexes snapped my vision onto the source.

I saw a surprised man in a suit. He clearly wasn't expecting to see a man and a child surrounded by now unrecognisable burning debris with a giant robot kneeling above them. A number of different reactions flew through my mind, if he somehow managed to identify the flaming piles around the cavern then I'd have to catch him and drag him to someone who can erase his memories as well.

I know I've mentioned it before, but I really must have inherited Archer's luck.

His surprise didn't last long, a moment later he was grinning like a fool and waving.

That wasn't a reaction I had considered.

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Scene Skip - Shirou Emiya

* * *

This is just getting more and more complicated. After that strange man stopped grinning he introduced himself as Kunio Ishigami, head of Juda Corporation. That was when the alarm bells in the back of my mind started ringing, the ones that meant someone was pulling my strings without me knowing. I kind of wish I had that alarm back during the grail war. Anyway immediately afterwards myself and Reiji were more or less forced into a car, Ishigami refused to explain anything until we arrived at Juda headquarters so they could confirm... something. I get the feeling it has something to do with that giant robot, VARDANT.

I say that because Ishigami spent almost half an hour trying to get me to pilot the thing to climb out of that cave. Of course I'm not careless enough to try to pilot something like that after it killed me. I have no idea what it is or what it did to me, that's enough reason to stay far away from the thing.

When Ishigami realised he wasn't going to win that argument without telling me what I wanted to know, he decided to get a helicopter and blow the top off the cave so he could airlift the thing out. I'm kind of glad he dropped a rope so myself and Reiji could climb out first.

Anyway the reason I agreed to come along is so that I could find out just what that robot did to me. I tried using structural analysis on myself, and found millions of tiny machines. I might be better than most magi when it comes to technology, but those were beyond me. The other reason is that it doesn't look like any of Ishigami's people know anything about magecraft, so it would be pretty easy to fight my way out of the company without killing anyone.

All of that lead to myself and Reiji walking through the sleek, modern corridors of Juda Corporation to speak with Ishigami in his office. To be honest I have no idea why Reiji had to be here, I'm glad he is though since I haven't had a chance to find someone to erase his memories yet. Speaking of which I'm really glad he has the sense to not say anything about what happened. Though I can't imagine many people taking him seriously with all of the bodies incinerated.

When I opened the door to Ishigami's office all thoughts of the past day or so evaporated from my mind.

It would be hard to think of the past when an eccentric man you just met was grinning in front of a banner saying "Welcome to Juda" while surrounded by tables of food. The scene was completed when said eccentric man let loose the party poppers and fired confetti at myself and Reiji.

I was sorely tempted to turn around and walk away. It was difficult to imagine that the odd man would have any answers I needed. Unfortunately I couldn't think of anyone else that could have those answers, so I had no choice but to at least hear him out.

Ishigami, who hadn't stopped smiling since I had waked in, then spoke in what could only be called a joyous tone. The kind of tone people use when they've won some sort of prize.

"Welcome to Juda, Shirou Emiya. I look forward to working with you in the future!"

I could already feel a headache forming. At no point had we discussed any sort of job offer, not that I would have accepted. I found myself incapable of staying at the Clock Tower despite the fact that the woman I love lives and works there. I simply can't stay in one place when I know that somewhere there are innocent people dying. Knowing that, I gave my answer to his ludicrous statement.

"Thank you for the welcome, however I find it to be highly unlikely that we shall be working together. I am merely here for the information that you have promised to supply."

I tried to sound polite, but when his face didn't change from its childlike enthusiasm I couldn't help but think it wouldn't have mattered.

"You can't expect me to reveal sensitive information to just anyone. It would be negligent of me to help a mercenary make use of a Machina without taking precautions. If you want to know then I guess you'll have to work with me."

Suddenly I had a very bad feeling. Bad enough that I couldn't help but decide it would be best to cut my losses and run now. The man standing before me might not know of magecraft, but he was very well informed if he managed to uncover my occupation as a mercenary. Though to be fair it would be more accurate to call me a freelancer.

Though the fact that worried me the most was that the robot I had found, VARDANT, was called a Machina. If it had a title, that meant that there was more than one.

I could destroy one of those machines from a distance with ease, a broken noble phantasm makes short work of all but the most legendary of protections, in close quarters I would probably be crushed. Therefore it would be a bad idea to be too close to anybody that had access to such machines, and from the knowledge he's already displayed Ishigami appears to be such a person.

Before I replied it occurred to me that four years ago I wouldn't have realised half of that from a single sentence.

"Regardless of my profession, Mr. Ishigami, I refuse to work with or for someone whose intentions cannot be confirmed. So again I respectfully decline your offer. Since that means that you will not disclose the information I requested, I apologise for wasting your time."

With that said I turned to leave. I managed to open the office door and took a step to exit before Ishigami replied.

"Do you still want to be a superhero?"

Those words caused me to freeze involuntarily. I hadn't used words like those to describe my dream since I was a child, the fact that he used those words specifically could mean any number of things.

He could be threatening me by revealing that he knows where my hometown is, and by extension where he can find my childhood friends.

Or I could be reading too much into it and it's an honest question, though he certainly looked up my old school records.

Turning to face him I saw that his childlike glee had transformed into calculated amusement. The look of an intelligent man that knows that he will get what he wants. The only question now is why he wants me.

"I prefer to call myself an ally of justice these days."

That look on his face became a more honest smile. Though I wouldn't be making any assumptions about this man from now on.

"What a coincidence. I used to call myself the same thing. Believe it or not, there are others that possess a Machina. A rather dangerous group. As an ally of justice isn't it your duty to protect the world from them?"

If he's telling the truth then it might be more effective to cooperate with him in order to stop this other group. But on the other hand I don't want to be tied down with numerous responsibilities regardless of whether or not he's telling the truth.

I suppose a compromise might work.

"...Alright. But I have a number of conditions and they're all non-negotiable."

I hated that smug look on his face. To be completely fair he doesn't seem like a bad guy, hell I could probably come to like him, but I hate being maneuvered into doing things that I don't want to. Rin does it often enough, though at least she's subtle about it.

"First of all, I maintain the right to leave at any point unmolested."

Because there's no way in hell I'm going to agree to work with him and leave myself without an exit strategy.

"Secondly, I'll need to be able to come and go as I please when my help isn't immediately required. I have other commitments to attend to."

Commitments such as apostle hunts, chasing down sealing designates and general ally of justice business.

"Thirdly, any information you come across about my past activities goes no further than this room."

I honestly didn't expect him to really follow that one if he discovered any information related to magecraft, but if I add it into the list he might make the mistake of telling me first. Unlikely but possible.

"And finally, I'd like you to find somewhere for Reiji to stay."

That last one was just something to lighten the load on my mind. Dealing with giant robots and corporations is bad enough without trying to deal with a child. Speaking of which, he's standing between myself and Ishigami looking very confused and completely out of place. I don't really blame him.

Ishigami nodded his head at each condition. Looking completely unsurprised at the first three, I really don't know what his expression at the last one meant. But it probably wasn't good. It only took a few moments before he responded.

"All perfectly reasonable conditions. Though if your past activities call your character in question I will maintain the right to remove you from your position. Other than that, welcome to Juda Shirou! It's about time we found a Chief for the special task force. If you'll follow me I'll explain everything you need to know on the way."

Chief of a special task force? That sounds like a full time position, and I specifically stated that I wouldn't be around unless I was needed. I suppose the details of my job can be figured out later, right now I really need to have my questions answered.

Reiji moved to follow us, but Ishigami stopped him.

"Sorry for ignoring you, but I'd like for you to talk with my secretary. I've already made arrangements for where you'll be staying and she'll lead you to your room. Don't worry, I only need Shirou for little bit longer."

Reiji didn't look happy at all about being brushed off in that manner, then again he hasn't looked happy at all since I've met him. Not that I can blame him.

Without waiting for a reply Ishigami was moving, leading me out of the office and down the winding corridors of Juda.

"I'm sure you have many questions, Shirou. Before that I'll explain the most important things. The robot you found is called a Machina, alone a Machina is incapable of killing a human being so they bond themselves to a human. Those humans are called Factors."

That doesn't make sense. VARDANT was moving around on it's own and mowing down the dead... wait, he said that a Machina can't kill a human: maybe it recognised the dead as being deceased already? That still doesn't explain why they need a factor though.

"Why does a Machina need a factor in order to kill other humans? Who made them? And what does becoming a factor do to a person?"

As I asked my question we reached an elevator, Ishigami pushed a button for one of the lowest floors.

"Well in order: a Machina is simply programmed so that it cannot take a human life without a Factor. That's all we know. As for who made them, your guess is almost as good as mine. Becoming a factor has a number of effects: a general increase in physical abilities as well as being tied to the Machina they are the Factor of. If the Machina is destroyed the Factor dies, it also halts aging after a certain point. We've managed to discover that all of this is made possible by an incredible number of nano-machines that are present in the Factor's body."

I knew about the nano-machines, the other benefits of being a Factor could be useful, but being tied to VARDANT is not a particularly appealing prospect. The other answers only seemed to generate more questions. Questions which Ishigami is either unable or unwilling to answer.

"Well, since you don't appear to have much information on Machina tell me this: how many do you possess?"

Almost as soon as I finished my question the door of the elevator opened, revealing a large cavern. It appeared to be a large cave with distant metallic walls and electrical lights hundreds of meters up on the ceiling.

"To answer your question: we possess two including your VARDANT. Now if you would kindly step out of the elevator..."

I did as he asked, and the elevator door shut behind me.

With Ishigami still in it.

I get the feeling that I'm not going to like what happens next. I seem to be getting that feeling quite a bit lately. A moment later I heard an unfamiliar male voice, from the way it seemed to come from everywhere it was probably over a speaker system.

"So you're the new guy? Well, summon VARDANT and we'll get started."

...Eh?

How the hell do I 'Summon VARDANT'?

I would have tried to communicate the fact that I didn't understand, but I couldn't see any cameras or people. Something I did, or probably didn't do, must have told the voice that I had no idea what he was talking about. He sounded more than a little annoyed at that.

"Come on, we don't have all day. Just stick your hand in the air and say 'come VARDANT' or something, we're not actually sure if the words matter."

I looked at my hand for a moment, wondering whether or not the voice was trying to make a fool out of me. A moment later I decided there was nothing to lose and followed its instructions.

Raising my right hand high into the air I gave my command.

**"Come, VARDANT!"**

And almost gave away the secret of magecraft by projecting blades on camera when there was a deafening crash behind me. I should have been expecting that; VARDANT had appeared out of some sort of rift in space behind me. It was fortunate that I had at some point turned to the side in order to find the voice, or VARDANT might have ended up inside the elevator shaft. I'd have to ask if there are safety features preventing that.

My thoughts were cut short when the cockpit slid out. Not needing a prompt from the voice I leapt up to take my seat inside VARDANT. It was surprisingly easy, the physical enhancements given by those nano-machines are on par with high level reinforcement. A moment later I was sitting in the cockpit as it slid back into place.

It didn't take long for that same person's voice to fill the cockpit.

"Well, at least you can follow instructions. We managed to fit VARDANT with a radio but we didn't have time to install anything else. So we may as well save introductions for later. Give us a few minutes and your opponents will be ready."

Opponents? I get the feeling Ishigami didn't explain something to one of us. Deciding it would probably be for the best to make sure I didn't misunderstand I spoke up, hoping the radio was two way.

"Excuse me, but I have no idea what I'm doing. Mr. Ishigami merely escorted me down here, so I don't know what's going on."

There was a heavy sigh. A sigh of the long suffering. Unfortunately I've made that sound quite a few times.

"I'm not surprised, the president has a habit of dropping people in the deep end straight away. You shouldn't have any trouble piloting VARDANT, the machine transmits all necessary information into its factor while in use. For now just do what feels natural. Your objective is to disable the enemy, just avoid attacking their cockpits and they'll be fine."

Wait, opponents? Their? I thought there was only one other Machina here.

Before I managed to ask my question a hangar door which I hadn't noticed at the other end of the vast cavern I was in opened. I felt kind of foolish for not realising it before, but with the size of this cavern and the reinforced walls it could only be some sort of testing ground for Machina. Exiting the hangar door were three machines: they looked vaguely humanoid but were of a much cruder design than VARDANT. They didn't have the wings and the limbs were bulkier. If I had to make a guess I'd say that these are reverse engineered machines based on a Machina. It would make sense since the technology in VARDANT looked far beyond anything currently available and the creators of it were apparently unknown. I'd save my judgement until I've seen the respective capabilities of my machine and theirs though.

The machines appeared to be equipped with a sword and a rifle. The sword was sheathed on their right hip while the rifle was attached to the lower back of the machines. At least they were before the machines removed them.

By the way; I hate guns.

"Well there are your opponents. Get to it."

Wasting no time I grabbed the joysticks in front of me, instinctively using structural analysis to better use VARDANT.

And was assaulted by what could only be a wave of every possible stimulation possible. All over the cockpit alert messages sprang up, bright red and very alarming. I felt hot, cold, wet, dry, pleasure, pain. It was as though my nerves didn't know how to interpret anything.

Fighting through the nauseating stimulations I tried to read any of the messages.

_**Foreign interference detected**_

_**Factor synchronisation: 10%**_

_**Decoding factor input: 0%**_

Those were just the ones I could see before a familiar voice echoed inside the small space.

"Shirou, what's going on?"

It was Ishigami. I tried to speak but my muscles didn't respond correctly.

Then it was over. And a single message was on the front of the cockpit.

Resolving factor incompatibility. Progress: 0%. Disconnecting nervous synchronisation. Operational efficiency: 10%.

I breathed a sigh of relief. It had only lasted seconds but it had been one of the most disorientating experiences of my life.

"Shirou. What happened?"

Ishigami sounded a little worried. I couldn't bring myself to be surprised though.

"I have no idea Mr. Ishigami."

There was a thoughtful sound on the other end before he spoke again.

"Everything seems to be normal now, can you continue with the test?"

I looked past the alert message at the machines ahead of me, they disappeared almost as soon as I tried. The machines were standing still, they must have been ordered to stand down for the moment.

I then looked to my hands, which were still on the joysticks. I tried to move VARDANT forward, and was rewarded when the machine did. A few experimental movements showed that it reacted more to mental commands than mechanical ones. It said something about nervous synchronisation, maybe I'm supposed to be able to feel everything VARDANT can? If so that's not the case. I should be able to fight like this though. I would just have to be careful.

"I should be able to continue Mr. Ishigami, though I would have appreciated some warning beforehand."

Looking to each side I managed to unfold the wings. I remember seeing swords contained within them and with a little effort I managed to obtain a pair. They weren't ideal for my fighting style, but they would have to do.

Wasting no time I charged forwards. I needed to close the distance before they were given the order to fire.

It was a clumsy charge, I almost stumbled when the enemy opened fire. Stopping for a half second I threw my left blade towards the enemy. It wasn't meant to damage them, but when the blade impacted with the enemy it made one of them stumble into the line of fire of another. Effectively reducing the amount of fire coming towards me.

By the time I reached the three enemies I had managed to grab another sword, but VARDANT was probably covered in damage. I simply wasn't agile enough to evade the enemy's fire.

However when I closed enough that the enemy chose their blades over their guns, things changed completely.

The three of them were in a close formation, the first being slightly ahead of the other two.

The whole reason I was having trouble is because I wasn't used to running around without feeling my legs, so having VARDANT run was just as difficult. However I was used to fight dead apostles in sword fights. That meant that I was used to fighting well past the point where I can't feel my arms simply from the force of my opponents blows. So not being able to feel VARDANT's arms wasn't too much of a handicap.

I proved that when the first opponent tried to attack. My style uses false openings, thereby eliminating strength as speed as variables in battle. If I know where the enemies blow is coming from it doesn't matter how strong or how fast they are, I can intercept it. It turns the battle into one purely based on skill. And I was certainly more skilled than these opponents. His blow came over my head, my own blades spread to the sides. But as his blow came my left blade was already moving, putting as much force into it as I could I knocked the blade to my left, almost knocking the machine over. It appeared as though VARDANT was much stronger than these opponents. With that blow deflected the opponents arm was severed along with the leg closest to me with a single blow from my left hand blade. Liquid which resembled blood a little too closely for my taste was spurting out of the 'wound'.

The two remaining enemies chose to attack together. The one to my left favouring a strike from down low while my right hand opponent preferred an overhead strike. They were probably expecting me to prioritise one over the other, that way one of them could get behind me. I chose to deal with them both at the same time.

Secure in the knowledge that VARDANT was a much stronger machine I stepped between them, turning to the right as my left blade clashed with the enemies lower blade, and forced it's way past, while my right hand blade was over my head, blocking the other opponent. My left hand blade then came up as I completed my one hundred and eighty degree turn, carving the formerly right hand machine in two at the waist while my right hand blade came down like a bolt of lightning to deliver the same fate to the other machine which had been forced to turn towards me with the force of my parry.

I wasn't satisfied with overwhelming my opponents in close quarters, I had taken far too much damage getting there. I couldn't help but feel as if this was all a waste of time. Sure VARDANT was impressive for a piece of machinery, but I could fight better on foot.

My mind drifted towards the hundreds of legendary blades I could create which could end VARDANT in an instant.

Then my mind drifted to the absurd idea of having VARDANT sized Kanshou and Bakuya, the Chinese falchions that had become my favourite blades. They would certainly be nice to have if I was going to use this machine.

Out of a sense of curiosity I tried structural grasping once more, just to see how much bigger Kanshou and Bakuya would have to be. The difference in size was ridiculous: I couldn't project blades any bigger than they were in the blueprint I had memorised. I could probably alter the scale of my Reality Marble so that I could make all of my swords VARDANT sized when I use it, but that would be pointless since there would be absolutely no reason to use VARDANT under those circumstances.

While I was still contemplating that ridiculous idea another alert message popped up in front of me.

_**Factor input decoded: 3%. File name: Unlimited Blade Works.**_

...

Well. If that's not a reason to stick around I don't know what is.

* * *

Scene Skip - Emiya Shirou

* * *

After the battle I made a short report to Ishigami. There weren't many interesting points, the one that stood out being an explanation of how someone should pilot a Machina: apparently a person's nervous system was supposed to synchronise with an artificial nervous system throughout the Machina, allowing the pilot to feel everything the Machina can. For some reason that didn't happen to me. So I had to control VARDANT without being able to feel its movements.

I have a theory, but it's not my area of expertise: it's possible that VARDANT detected my magic circuits when I used structural grasping on it, magic circuits are similar to nerves after all, however they're contained in the soul not the body so the synchronization failed. Bah, I don't need to know the theory behind it, I just need it to work.

Anyway, now that that's out of the way, Ishigami offered me an apartment in Juda headquarters. I would have refused, working for him is bad enough so I don't want to give him any more chances to discover the secret of magecraft, but unfortunately I didn't have a place to stay and wouldn't be able to find one with what little daylight is left. So I reluctantly accepted.

Approaching the door I swiped a keycard given to me by Ishigami through the reader on the wall, then opened the door and entered.

The apartment looked very modern with a more western style compared to my house in Fuyuki. The outside facing wall was almost entirely made of glass. I could see a small circular staircase leading to what I assume is a small bedroom or study. The kitchen was thankfully well stocked with every appliance I could ever need: that shall be my haven from now on, trespassers shall not leave unscathed. What appears to be the living area contained a sleek black bookcase with numerous books, one long sofa and one corner sofa, a widescreen television which probably won't see much use from me, Reiji is sitting on the sofa and finally a fairly large coffee table with a bowl of fruit sitting on it.

Wait, hold on. I just saw something strange.

For a moment I just stood there, then I blinked. Afterwards I came to a single, uncompromising decision: Ishigami is the single greatest pain in the ass I have ever met.

The worst part? He probably doesn't realise just how thoroughly he's wrecked my plans.

My whole plan for dealing with Reiji assumed that we would not be spending a great deal of time together. If we were to spend a great deal of time together after Reiji had been affected by hypnotism or suggestion so that he would forget everything the hypnotism or suggestion would eventually unravel because of the nature of our first encounter.

Life and death situations tend to be memorable for most people after all.

Since that's off the table, and I really don't have it in me to try and get rid of Reiji if he doesn't want to leave, a change of tactics was necessary. But first, I needed to make sure there were no eavesdroppers.

"Hey, Reiji. Give me a second, then I'll answer any questions you have."

A short nod was the only response he gave me. Not really surprising considering he almost certainly counts as a traumatised child at this point.

Looking around the room once more I made use of one of my favourite skills again: Structural Analysis. I searched everything for anything even vaguely mechanical. If it didn't look like it belonged there I took it apart and made sure it wasn't a recording device of any kind. If it was, it went out the window.

I found five listening devices and seven cameras. Fairly light, but I don't think Ishigami is expecting me to be too much of a problem.

Having completed my task I walked over to Reiji, then took a seat more or less opposite him. Mentally going over the words that I knew I would have to say, the words that stayed with me the longest from when I first met my father.

"First of all, Reiji. I should probably tell you this; I am Shirou Emiya, and I am a Magus."

* * *

Chapter End

* * *

Alright, end of the chapter finally.

Any questions, direct them to me in a review or PM. I'll answer them if I can without spoiling the story. Unless you specifically want spoilers, I might be tempted to spill the beans then.

Flames shall be doused with the ice cold shoulder. Though if you make a reallllllly good point I might take the slightest bit of notice. Not as much as a polite review though.


End file.
